Castle Peak Observations

Location Name: 
Castle Peak
Region: 
Donner Summit Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 08:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 21' 51.552" N, 120° 20' 21.804" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

4'' of new dense snow in the Castle Peak area.  Lots of evidence on the snow surface of blowing snow during and after the storm.  Small cornices were built out and were reactive to a ski kick.  Wind slabs in the most heavily wind loaded areas were up to 8'' deep.  There was some minor cracking in the most wind loaded areas but other than that no signs of instability with the new storm snow.  Any terrain exposed to the west winds was scoured down to a firm, supportable melt freeze crust. 

Photo:  Dropping a small cornice onto a N aspect wind loaded slope with no results, 8700'

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
West
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: